Zeus Master of Olympus fans, BBC America will be premiering a new fantasy drama series in 13 episodes on November 23 called "Atlantis". Check your local listings, cable provider, or satellite service for times, etc.

About Atlantis:

"BBC Americas new 13-part fantasy drama series, Atlantis, created by Howard Overman (Misfits), Julian Murphy (Merlin) and Johnny Capps (Merlin), is set in a time of legendary heroes and mythical creatures. A mysterious place; a world of bull leaping, of snake haired Goddesses and of palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants  this is the lost city of Atlantis. The cast includes Mark Addy (Game of Thrones), Jemima Rooper (One Man, Two Guvnors, Hex), Juliet Stevenson (The Hour), Sarah Parish (Hatfields & McCoys), Robert Emms (War Horse), Aiysha Hart (About Time) and Jack Donnelly (Dancing On The Edge). The series is an Urban Myth Films production for BBC Cymru Wales co-produced with BBC America."

(As I was saying to Plato the other day), this is exactly the sort of escapism that Mrs Herodotus loves.

Looks like it will be a Merlin replacement, timed for UK autumn family viewing on Saturday nights on BBC1, directly after Strictly Come Dancing (what you call Dancing with the Stars) and before the Lottery Draw.

Some dramatic license there. The volcanic island of Thera (now Santorini) was/is some 68 miles (110km) away from the shores of Crete and would not be visible from there as depicted in this trailer.

Current theory is that the Minoans, a great naval empire, are the inspiration for Atlantis, and that the explosion of the island of Thera around 1627-1628 B.C. caused resulting 115ft-490ft (35m-150m) high tsunamis that wiped out their civilization.

For comparison, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, December 26, 2004 caused waves 80ft (24m) high. The August 23, 1883 tsunami caused by explosion of Krakatoa which hit the islands of Java and Sumatra were between 90ft-100ft (40m-46m) high.

The explosion of Krakatoa was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT. The largest hydrogen bomb ("Tsar bomb") ever built by man is 50 megatons. The Thera explosion is estimated to have been 4-5 times greater than Krakatoa.

The Volumetric Explosivity Index rating, rates the Krakatoa explosion at a level 6, and the Thera explosion at a level 7. Each level of the VEI is logarithmic and is 10 times greater than the previous level.

Also, this trailer is apparently for a movie called "Atlantis" that was released in 2011 and not for the upcoming tv show.